Leather-cutting machine.



E. H. HATHAWAY.

LEATHER CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23. I9I2.

1,179,828. Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

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@wlw wam@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

:EDWARD I-I. I-IATHAWAY, OF PROVIDENCE, RI-IODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GRATON AND KNIGHT MANUFACTURING COMIPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPO- RATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER-CUTTING MACHINE.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD H. I-IATH- AWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Leather-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification accompanied by drawings, forming a part of the same.

My present invention relates particularly to a machine for forming the rounded edges of a loom harness strap, although it may be employed for rounding the edges of strips of leather used for other purposes.

A strap employed for suspending the harness frame of weaving looms consists of a narrow strip of leather having its central portion reduced in width and provided with rounded edges at its reduced section,

leaving the ends the full width of the strap. The ends of the strap are adapted to be connected with the harness frames and the 1ntermediate portion which has been reduced in width with rounded edges is adapted to run over supporting pulleys at the top of the loom. n

It is the object of my present invention to provide means for removing shavings from the opposite sides of the strap throughout a portion of its length, leaving the edges of the strap, from which the shavings areV removed, slightly rounded, and also to impart a gradual taper to the strap between the reduced section and the ends of the strap. I accomplish these objects by the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and pointed out in the annexed claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a cuttingrnechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 1s a rear elevation. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of one of the cutters. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the cutter spindle with the cutter carried thereby and the adjustable guide. Fig. 5 is a cross section of `a harness strap, the section being shown through its reduced portion.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures. f

` Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1, 1, denote a pair of standards mounted upon a table 2. Supported by the standards l, 1, is a rectangular crossbar 3 upon whlch are adjustably mounted the heads 4, 4a,

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application led March 23, 1912. Serial N o. 685,668. i

capable of sliding upon the crossbar 3 and being held in position thereon by clamping bolts 5, 5. Supported b v each of the heads 4, 4a are cutting mechanisms for taking a shaving from each edge of the harness strap. The cutting mechanisms are made right and left to operate upon opposite edges of the strap, but they are otherwise duplicates of each other, and the description of one will suflice. I have therefore confined myself to a detailed description of the cutting mechanism carried by the adjustable head 4.

Journaled in the head 4 is a rotating hollow spindle 6 having attached to its lower end a radial arm 7, in the outer end of which is held a curved cutting knife 8, by means of a clamping plate 9 and clamping screw 10. The curved knife 8 is bent in the arc of a circle concentric with the axis of the spindle 6. Its free end is provided with a cutting edge 11. The radial arm 7 is provided with a transverse channel 12 forming ways for an adjustable arm 13, carrying at its free end a stud 14 on which a flanged roller 15 rotates freely, with suflicient space between the barrel 16 of the flanged roller and the cutting edge 11 of the knife to form a throat for the passage of the shaving removed from the side of the harness strap.

Immediately behind the cutting mechanism and supported by the head 4 is a guide 17 provided with flanges 1S and 19 between which the harness strap is drawn past the cutting mechanism. The guide 17 is split at its center, as shown at 20, to allow the flanges 1S and 19 to be separated by an increase in the thickness of the strap. The guide is supported upon the lower end of a vertically adjustable rectangular stem 21 clamped by a screw 22 in a bearing in an adjustable block 23. The block 23 is horizontally adjustable on the flange 24 and is held in place by a clamping bolt 25. The flange 24 forms part of a plate 26 held upon the rear side of the head 4 by a clamping bolt 27 which passes through a slot 28 to allow the plate 26 to be horizontally adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 29. The guide 17, therefore, is capable of an adjustment in a vertical direction by means of the sliding stem 21, and also of adjustment in horizontal directions at right angles to each other by an adjustment of the block 23 and plate 26. The arm 13 carrying the flanged roller 15 is held in place on the radial arm 7 by means of a long bolt 30y passing through the hollow spindle 6, provided at its lower end Vwith a head 31 which overlaps the arm 13, and having at its free end a tightening nut 32. The bolt 30 passes throug'h a slot 33 in the arm 13, enabling the arm to be radially adjusted in order to vary the throat or space between'the flanged roller and the cutting edge of the knife 8.

Opposing the guide 17 is a duplicate guide 17a and the head 4a carries a duplicate spindle 6 upon which a duplicate cutter 8a is supported. The two spindles 6 and 6a are provided with radial arms 34 and 34a .which are coupled together by a link 35 having a turn buckle 36 which may be adjusted in length as the heads 4 and 4a are separated or brought nearer together t0 accommodate straps of different widths. The radial arm 34 is provided with a lever handle 37 swinging over an arc 38 having three notches 39, 40 and 41. Carried by the lever handle 37 is a latch 42 arranged to engage one of the notches in the arc 33 and be withdrawn therefrom by means of apivoted handle 43 which is Compressed by the operator against the lever-handle 37, and against the force of a spiral spring 44 in order to withdraw the latch 42 from the notches.

In the operation of the machine the lever handle 37 is swung over the arc 38 until the latch 42 engages the notch 39. In this position the cutters will then be withdrawn outside the path of the strap A which is inserted between the guides 17, 17a in the direction of the arrow 45, F ig. 1. The spindles 6, 6El are then rotated by means of the lever handle 37 until the latch 42 engages the central notch 40. This moves the cutters intothe position shown in Fig. 1, and as the cutters pass into the edge of the strap they describe a circular path which produces the two tapered edges 46, Fig. 1. 1With the cutters locked in this position, shown in Fig. 1, the strap is drawn by hand in the direction of the arrow 45, cutting the shavings 47, 48

from the sides of the strap, which pass outwardly between the cutting edges ofthe cutters 8, 8a and the flanged rollers. The strap is drawn between the cutters until the reduced section is of the desired length when the spindles 6, 6a are again rotated until the latch 42 engages the notch 41. This movement of theV cutters swings their cutting edges entirely free from the strap and produces similar `tapered edges to those shown at 46 at the opposite end of the reduced section, also entirely severing the shavings 47 and 4S from the strap. rIhe spindles 6, 6a are then reversed by means of the lever handle 37 until the latch 42 engages the first notch 39 which brings the cutters back to their original position at the beginning of the operation, and sufliciently separated to 2. In a leather cutting machine, a guideA for the piece to be out, a rotatable spindle, a knife carried at one end by said spindle and curved concentrically with its aXis of rotation, said knife having a cutting edge.

at its free end, means for rotating said spindle to carry the cutting edge of said knife into and out of engagement with the piece to be cut, and means for holding said knife in a fixed position. y

3. In a leather cutting machine, a guide for the piece to be cut, a curved knife having its cutting edge at one end, means fork rotating said knife in the plane of its curvature to carry its cutting edge into and out of engagement with 'the piece to be cut, and means for retaining said knife in its cutting position.

4. In a leather cutting machine, a guide for the piece to be cut, a curved knife having a cutting edge at one end, means for rotating said knife in th-e plane of its curvature to carry its cutting edge into and out of engagement with the piece to be cut, and a flanged roll spaced from the cutting edge of said knife.

5. In a leather cutting machine, a curved knife having a cutting edge at one end, means for moving said knife about a Xed axis of rotation and in the plane of the curvature of the knife to carry its cutting edge into and out of engagement with the piece to be cut, means for holding the piece to be cut against the cutting edge of the knife, and a roll outside the cutting edge of the knife having its aXis parallel with the aXis of rotation of the knife, said roll being adjustable to and from the cutting edgeof the knife.

6. In a leather cutting machine, a pair of curved cutting knives acting in opposition to each other on opposite sidesof the piece to be cut, and means for moving the cutting edges of said knives into and out of the edges of the piece to be cut.

7. In a leather cutting machine, a guide for the piece to be cut, a pair of curved knives placed opposite to each other on opposite sides of the piece to be cut, and means for moving said knives about parallel fixed axes to carry their cutting edges into and out of engagement with the piece to be cut.,

8. In a machine for cutting leather, a

guide for the piece to be cut, apair of curved knives placed opposite each other on opposite sides of the piece to be cut, and means for simultaneously moving said knives into and out of engagement with the piece to be cut.

9. In a machine for cutting leather, a pair of curved knives located in a single plane, means for rotating said knives in the plane of their curvature to carry their cutting edges into and out of engagement with the piece to be cut, a guide for the piece to be cut, said guide being adjustable to correspond with the plane of the knives.

10. ln a machine for cutting leather, a pair of knives arranged on opposite sides 0f the piece to be cut, supports for said knives rotatable about parallel axes and each adjustable relatively to the piece to be cut, means for rotating one of said knife supports, and an adjustable link operatively connecting said knife support with the other knife support.

11. ln a machine for cutting leather, a pair of independently adjustable guides for guiding the opposite edges of the piece to be cut, a pair of knives acting in opposition to each other at the opposite edges of the piece to be cut, and means for moving the cutting edges of said knives in circular paths into and out of the edges of the piece to be cut.

12. ln a machine for cutting leather, a pair of heads adjustable to vary the distance between them, a spindle journaled in each of said heads, a radial arm carried by each of said spindles, a curved knife held in each of said radial arms, and means for rotating said spindles to carry the knives toward and away from each other.

13. In a machine for cutting leather, a pair of rotatable knives curved concentrically with their axes of rotation and having cutting edges at their ends, means for rotating said knives toward and away from each other, means for locking said knives in fixed position at each end of their rotative movement, and means for locking the knives in an intermediate position.

111. In 'a machine for cutting leather, a curved knife, meansfor rotating said knife in the plane of its curvature to carry its cutting edge into the leather, and means for locking said knife in a fixed position in engagement with the leather.

15.'In a machine for cutting leather, a guide for the piece to be cut, a knife at one side of the path of the piece to be cut as it is moved through said guide, a support forsaid knife rotatable about an axes at right angles with the line of movement of the piece to be cut, means for swinging said knife support to carry the edge of the knife into the path of the piece to be cut and by its continued movement in the same direction to carry the edge of said knife out of the path of the piece to be cut.

16. In a machine for cutting leather, a rotatable support, a knife and a roll spaced apart and mounted upon said support, and means for rotating the support to carry the knife and roll into engagement with an edge of the leather to be cut.

Dated this twentieth day of March 1912.

EDWARD H. HATHAWAY.

Witnesses PENELOPE COMBERBACH, NELLIE WHALEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

